Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer said Celtic ‘deserve a mention’ after Champions League draw vs Atalanta

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Celtic face Motherwell today at Fir Park as they resume their domestic campaign after an excellent Champions League result against Atalanta midweek.

Brendan Rodgers masterminded a rare away Champions League point against Gian Piero Gasperini’s side and the draw leaves Celtic in a great place to qualify from the group phase for the first time in over a decade.

However, whilst some at the BBC tried to pick holes in Celtic’s draw with Atalanta, England legend, Gary Lineker, felt that Rodgers’ men ‘deserve a mention’ after holding off the Serie A top scorers on Wednesday night.

Gary Lineker hails ‘really good’ Champions League result for Celtic vs Atalanta

Lineker told The Rest is Football, “I think Celtic deserve a mention. That’s a really good point for them, Atalanta, particularly having conceded seven in their last game, got a thumping having started well with a victory.

“So four points in three games, but Kasper Schmeichel, clean sheet, looked like they defended really well in that game.

Shearer continued, “I watched a large part of that game, actually. They were under the cosh most of the game, they had to stick together, and defended really well.”

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‘What an opportunity’ Celtic have to qualify from the Champions League group

And as Lineker highlighted how many shots on goal Atalanta had against Celtic, Shearer admitted that the Bhoys now can ‘push on’ and get out of the Champions League group.

Lineker: “Yeah, 22 shots they had against them, 22 shots.

Shearer: “Yeah, but what an opportunity now for Celtic to try and sort of push on and get into one of the playoff places.

“That would be amazing if they did that. And you’re right, four points, I think they would have snapped your hands off for that before a ball was kicked.”

Celtic’s next fixtures are against Bundesliga giants RB Leipzig and Belgian champions Club Brugge and six points from those two games should be enough to guarantee a place in the play-off places for the Parkhead club.

But now, Celtic head to Motherwell to face a team looking to bounce back from a home defeat to Dundee last week as Brendan Rodgers looks to reclaim the top spot in the Scottish Premiership.